China drops rules for generative AI like ChatGPT after launch of Alibaba
- Chinese regulators on Tuesday released draft rules designed to manage how companies develop so-called generative artificial intelligence products such as ChatGPT.
- The Cyberspace Administration of China’s draft measure sets out the ground rules that generative AI services must follow, including the type of content these products are allowed to generate.
- For example, the content generated by AI must reflect the core values of socialism and should not undermine state power, according to the draft rules.
Chinese tech giants from Baidu to Alibaba have launched their own ChatGPT rivals. These products are examples of so-called generative artificial intelligence (AI). These are AI services capable of generating images or text following user requests. But AI is also about regulators. The powerful Cyberspace Administration of China released draft rules governing how generative AI products will be developed.
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Chinese regulators on Tuesday released draft rules designed to manage how companies develop generative artificial intelligence products like ChatGPT.
The draft rules by the powerful Cyberspace Administration of China are the first of their kind in the country and are aimed at rapidly developing artificial intelligence as domestic tech giants begin rolling out ChatGPT-style products.
So-called generative AI refers to algorithms trained with huge amounts of data that are able to generate content such as images and texts. The American firm OpenAI developed ChatGPT which is able to generate responses to user requests and has become hugely popular.
Over the past few weeks, Chinese tech giants have unveiled their competing products. On Tuesday, Alibaba unveiled Tongyi Qianwen, its generative AI product, which the e-commerce giant plans to integrate across various services. Baidu last month also launched its equivalent, the Ernie Bot, for testing.
CAC’s draft measure sets out the ground rules that generative AI services must follow, including the type of content these products are allowed to generate. The content must reflect the core values of socialism and must not undermine state power, according to the draft rules.
Companies should ensure that the data used to train these AI models does not discriminate against people based on things like ethnicity, race and gender, the CAC said. Nor should they generate false information, the regulator added.
Analysts previously told CNBC that Chinese regulators are likely to closely monitor the development of generative AI given its potential to generate content that could be politically sensitive.
The CAC’s rules highlight this concern and provide a framework for how Chinese firms must approach the development of the technology. But the measures, which are slated to take effect later this year, will work alongside China’s various other regulations around data protection and algorithm development.
However, China is not the only country concerned with the development of generative artificial intelligence. In March, Italy banned ChatGPT citing privacy concerns.
